Friday, December 19, 2008

Pretty for a change!

Enough of the demo and ice storm pics, I can't take any more!! Dan found a memory-card with photos from our previous house and I can't tell you how nice it was to see 'pretty' again! You have to understand that 99.897% of everything we own is still(almost one year later) in the original moving boxes. To put it mildly... we sooooo miss our treasures! Imagine all of your favorite antiques and accessories packed away and only a memory... until now! Here are some photos of our old house....

Entry with antique urns filled with giant liriope at front door. Vintage alabaster chandelier we found at the Paris Flea Market.

An antique mirror rests on an 18th c. flame-mahogany chest of drawers with original hardware, marble urn made into lamp with parchment shade; 18th c. Italian gilt candlesticks found at the Paris Flea Market. Dan brought the tulips home from a trip to Seattle- he stopped at Pike Place Market.

Dining room with my first set of American antique herbariums. I have a photograph of the woman who made these which is very special since unless your antiques come from relatives, you don't have any idea who owned them before you. I had these framed with old wavy antique glass. When we found the chandelier it had 197 huge crystals dripping from it, much too much for my tastes- took me two days to take them all off. I now use them to decorate a Christmas tree using only lots of white lights and the crystal prism drops. Centerpiece is a piece of forestwood we found on a back road in Colorado.

Living Room looking through entry into dining room.

Living Room

Living Room. Sofa has cushions made from 18th and 19th c. tapestries. Coffee table, chair (which is one of a pair) and commode we found in France. French door was actually an old window, a curb-side requisition.

My second collection of antique herbariums! They are American and pressed by LuLu M. Cowan in 1889! I actually have 23 more, but this was as many as I could tastefully display!! I love this collection- I can't tell you how happy they make my heart!

Antique Italian mirror. Pair of lamps found in Paris. Birds were Christmas gifts one year- one pair from my mother one from my sister, neither knowing they were giving the same gift! I love having four of them. They are standing in real bird seed!

Oil Painting was another curb-side requisition! One man's trash...

Antique Italian case piece filled with found objects.

A close up of the Italian case piece. This pair of herbariums belongs to the grouping in the dining room. Pair of 18th c. vellum books. Antique bronze candelabrum with purple, clear and smoked taupe crystals.

Antique tortoiseshell frames. The top two we found at the Paris Flea Market and the bottom one in Jackson, MS.

Antique gilt Italian pricket, a hotel silver tray and a demijohn bottle turned lamp all on an antique marble top and teak outdoor cafe table from Singapore.

My kitchen! Island was an antique piece found at an estate sale and we topped it with a piece of honed granite. Basket under the island was another curb-side find.

Antique iron French chandelier. Chalkboard 'Menu 'board made from old mirror frame. Case piece was made by Dan as a birthday present. I design, he builds! It is filled with my collections of white ironstone, green yelloware, hotel silver, and my cookbooks. Note Ella in the lower right hand corner of the photo looking up at purple 'Dumbo' sitting on the counter- I think we were getting ready to leave on a road trip!

Close-up of case piece. The hotel champagne bucket on the bottom shelf is my favorite champagne bucket- it is from the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel, 1924.

Kitchen dining table with hotel silver flatware in antique celery glasses, and an antique English ironstone ham stand used as a candle holder. The platter is one of my most prized hotel silver pieces, I actually have a pair of these beauties which I found separately. It is from the Biltmore Hotel, circa 1913 and measures 27 1/2"!

Kitchen at night.

Den

Master bedroom. Antique Italian starburst mirror over bed. It was once gilded, but now only slight remnants of gold remain. Headboard is brown velvet, skirt is natural linen and duvet cover is quilted cotton. Chair is suede with a mink pillow.

Master bedroom- antique French commode found in Atlanta at the Scott show. On top is a collection of French processional crosses, most we brought back from France. Their stands were made out of old glazed terra-cotta pieces and old alabaster pieces.

The cup is a coin silver mint julep cup made by a New Orleans maker. We found this cup in a small antiques shop marked "brass cup" for $5! Before we moved I always had it filled with flowers on my bed side table. I thank Carolyne Roehm for making it okay to use mini carnations! I'm not a big fan of the large ones, but I think the white minis are sweet, smell great and last forever!

Study. French door with frosted glass is one of a pair (other one is just to the left of the chest) and are closet doors.

Guest bedroom

Guest bedroom. Curtain rod is a bamboo piece that I tortoised. Painting from the South of France- it hangs from an antique chain and nail head. Mink pillow made from vintage muff.

13 comments:

I still miss your beautiful former home and your most beautiful back yard that You and Dan did and Ella so enjoyed. BUT, I know your "new" New Hampshire home will turn out to be just as- if (not more) breath taking than your home in Texas that you left !! I am waiting to visit it..... Mama

Oh, I LOVE your blog, I just found it and your house is beautiful!! Actually, I should say was, because you don’t live there anymore. But I do have to say that after growing up in NH and living in Boston now, I am a HUGE fan of your new house!! Farm houses are my favorite ever! They have so much charm and character, and from seeing your old house, your new one in NH is sure to be even more amazing! Glad you have your power back too; my parents went almost 6 days with no power, thank goodness for generators! And if you don’t have one by now, I highly recommend them for those lovely New England winters you are going to face.

Yes...I would say we like the same things! Everything you have...I like! :)

Ginger Barber is one of my absolute favorites...I still carry around her first spread from Country Home...love. that. house. How fun that you have met and purchased from her. I have come back several times to look at your pictures from your previous home. Just dreamy. Your kitchen is especially wonderful.

Funny...another thing we have in common...my 8 year old daughter's name is Ella. :)

Welcome LinsB! We always had plans to wire-in a generator at the house, but it definitely became a larger model after the ice storm!! So glad your parents have electricity back. I feel so bad for all the people still out...

Sarah- I have that SAME Country Home spread too! I spent hours studying it- such a great house! Do you have her most current house (from some time this past year I think?) I really did 'love' my old kitchen- the new one will have the same "feel". Too cute about Ella! I've always loved the name! Her full name is Ellazene which is an old family name!!!ha!

joan, you have lovely taste- it will be such fun to watch our houses take shape through blogging. new hampshire holds a very special place in my heart as i went to high school there. love the northeast and especially old farm houses-- i'm very excited to watch your progress! xo julia

Your old home was beautiful and I can easily understand why you are bursting to unpack your boxes and get back amongst your treasures. Have a happy New Year and very quick transition into the new home, xv.

oh my!!!! this makes me sad to thing all these beautiful things are still waiting for you!!! you must miss everything! you probably can't wait to be able to unload. your house was beautiful - those framed botanicals - to die for!!!!! just gorgeous!!!!!! wow!

Thank you for the tour! Everything is beautiful...love how you mixed french finds and antiques with curb finds. Your antique herbariums look so perfect hung in such a large group. I have a small group of botanicals in my kitchen and I have so many more this makes me think about filling the wall! I just posted about them on my new blog, stop by and let me know what you think. Thanks, Londen

Welcome! Thank you for leaving a comment; you have no idea how much your comments inspire me to keep writing- I appreciate each and every one. Comments are moderated by me prior to publishing on the blog, so if you don't see your comment post immediately it will be posted as soon as I receive it and read it. joan

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"when every corner speaks of possibility I know that I am home." -unknown-

Twelve years ago I could not have even pointed out New Hampshire on a map, but here we are! Nine years ago, after living for 15 years in the beehive that is Dallas, Dan and I finally escaped and landed in a very small town in New Hampshire that doesn't even have a traffic light. Perfection! Our move was a huge risk, but it has paid off with dividends and we absolutely love it here. I think we are really Yankees at heart. If you've never been to New England I cannot describe it with adequate words, you really just have to experience it. It is like no other part of the country. Its beauty matches our beloved Colorado, Oregon, and Washington and its spirit (Live Free or Die) is reminiscent of Texas, and the people... well, we have found them to be most genuine. In essence... we feel as if we have arrived home!

the living room

the kitchen

the dining room

the reading room

the master bedroom

the master bath

the North guest room

the South guest room

the guest bath

the barn room

the summer barn room

the barn half bath

the barn mud room

With the eyes to see it and the hands to create it, we can recover the home that the soul desires.
-A. Lawlor-

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It's a house with rooms that reflect a place, a feeling, a memory of the past.-unknown-

Simplicity-Making your life a creative work of art. A great piece of art is composed not just of what is in the final piece, but equally important, what is not. It is the discipline to discard what does not fit- to cut out what might have already cost days or even years of effort.